Tony Moore and Daniel Hurst

Queensland’s health minister denies his plan to cut more than 2700 job cuts in his portfolio will harm patient services, saying if anything outcomes will improve.

The Newman government today confirmed 2754 jobs would go from Queensland Health, sparking immediate criticism by the state opposition and unions, which argued the changes would herald the "destruction of the public health system as we know it".

That figure includes 1217 full-time-equivalent jobs from the corporate head office and 1537 from Queensland Health's 17 regions, now run by hospital and health boards. The health board cuts may not be settled until March next year.

But the Labor opposition argued the cuts would “rip the heart out of the Queensland health system” and contradicted Premier Campbell Newman’s pledges to protect front-line services.

“You don’t sack more than 2700 people – including more than 1500 from hospitals and health services – without sacking front-line staff including nurses and doctors,” Shadow Health Minister Jo-Ann Miller said in a statement.

Health payroll system blame

The Liberal National Party government, elected in March, is seeking to tie the job cuts from the local health board areas to the former Labor government’s health payroll woes.

Mr Springborg said the 1537 forecast job cuts in health boards areas were equivalent to the $150 million unfunded cost of the health payroll system this financial year.

"Just as I take full responsibility for the 1217 redundancies from the corporate office payroll so too the Leader of the Opposition must take full responsibility for the job losses that are a direct, and I mean direct, result of her former government's payroll disaster," he said in his video message to staff.

Queensland Health’s number of full-time equivalent staff would shrink from about 69,000 now to 66,100 full-time-equivalent positions as a result of the cuts outlined today.*

“We will retain an impressive workforce of 66,100 across the state, whose jobs will be bolstered by a string of health announcements in next Tuesday’s state budget,” Mr Springborg said in a statement.

“Queenslanders do not judge our health system by its size, but by health services delivered effectively, efficiently, with care and on time.”

Federal Labor Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said it was impossible to make such large cuts without affecting front-line services.

Cuts to local health and hospital positions

A spokesman for Mr Springborg said it would be up to the local health boards as to how they manage the savings required and the number of job cuts could change depending on what efficiencies were found.

The health board cuts are likely to be politically sensitive because the boards have oversight of doctors, nurses and staff in hospitals.

Mr Springborg said other heath boards may “not necessarily” follow the lead of the Townsville board in cutting nursing positions.

He argued not everyone who started in a front-line job was currently working in a front-line position, and some of the savings earmarked for health boards could be achieved through non-replacement of employees who leave of their own volition.

Mr Springborg said Treasurer Tim Nicholls had given him a $326 million savings target, but the government had looked for ways to reduce the impact on staff.

The government is yet to release specific information on the number of job cuts expected in each health board area.

Asked whether he would take responsibility for looming health cuts in the regions, Mr Springborg said: “The one who should take full responsibility for these cuts is [Labor leader] Annastacia Palaszczuk.”

He argued the majority of positions being cut from health and hospital districts would have been retained if it were not for the health payroll system costs.

Budget focus denounced

But Ms Palaszczuk said Mr Springborg's comments about the payroll system were a diversion and the Newman government was to blame for the cuts.

‘‘We know there are mass sackings happening in transport ... we know there are mass sackings happening in education. There are no payroll issues there,’’ Ms Palaszczuk told reporters in Cairns.

Together union secretary Alex Scott, who represents public servants, called on the government to detail where cuts would be made, arguing the changes would result in "the destruction of the public health system as we know it’’.

‘‘These cuts are being driven by the budget, not by the needs of patients," he said.

‘‘While the government is willing to announce over 2500 jobs going from the public health system, they’re refusing to release the details in relation to which hospitals will be affected.’’

Mr Scott said there was no doubt front-line services would be hit.

‘‘But the minister and the department are refusing to release the details of which jobs will go where, because they’ve seen the community backlash in relation to the hundreds of jobs that have gone from Townsville.’’

I value our staff: minister

Mr Springborg flagged the cuts in a video message to staff at 10am today.

"As minister I've said I will always value our staff. That means being personally responsible to outline the opportunities we must embrace in this period of great change," he said in the video address.

"We have new technologies, greater workplace flexibility and modern management, but valuing staff also means taking personal charge of the tough decisions."

Mr Springborg said the Queensland Health corporate restructure had started under Labor and the March election had paved the way for smaller management.

"Regrettably, and I mean this sincerely, there will be redundancies. There will also be new skills hired," he said.

Mr Springborg said employees would be "treated with respect and dignity".

He said staff deemed to be surplus to Queensland Health's needs would be offered voluntary redundancies or may seek the option of redeployment to another position "bearing in mind that limitations do apply".

The changes would reduce divisions in Queensland Health from nine to three. The department would also have two commercialised business units.

Mr Springborg said affected employees would be notified of the impact by close of business today.

"This government acknowledges the impact of these changes at the personal level, but it stands by its decision and the need for fundamental change which is long overdue," he said.

Mr Springborg told reporters he did not believe a single Queenslander felt Queensland Health should stay exactly as it was at the time of the election.

It is understood the Australian Medical Association's Queensland branch, the Together union, the Queensland Nurses' Union, United Voice, the Transport Workers' Union and construction unions were also invited to a Queensland Health briefing at 10am today.

AMAQ concerns

While this morning's presentation detailed cuts from the department’s support divisions, Dr Markwell said no details were yet available of the impact on preventive health or clinical health areas.

“We don’t know which current clinical activities will be cut, [we] don’t have that information yet,” she said.

“It’s an enormous number of workers, but I don’t think it is going to relieve anyone’s anxiety.

“I think everyone will be incredibly anxious over the weekend not knowing whether their jobs are secure.

“They will have to wait until Tuesday to find out.”

Dr Markwell said her main concerns were for preventive health programs, such as those to tackle obesity and promote sexual health, which the doctors' group believed were vulnerable.

“We still don’t know what their fate is and I suspect they will be axed,” she said.

Dr Markwell said the 1217 jobs to go from corporate office areas included the areas under the Chief Health Officer, such as preventive health, public health, tuberculosis treatment and "a whole range of areas".

“They are the ones that we are particularly worried about,” she said.

Dr Markwell said the details issued this morning outlined the overall restructuring.

It shows 260 jobs to go from the Systems Support Services area (down from 1838 jobs to 1578), while this area will investigate more “outsourcing opportunities” with the private sector.

The Human Resources section will lose 160 staff, with a further 74 staff being re-distributed to the hospital and health boards, 65 jobs will be cut from the finance branch, with a further 140 staff re-distributed to hospital and health boards.

Dr Markwell said the AMA believed the government would only announce further details about the impact on front-line staff in Tuesday’s Budget.

“I think we will find out on Tuesday, which districts - or which hospital and health boards - will lose which number of people,” she said.

“We don’t know if it is going to be lost evenly across the hospital and health boards and we don’t know across head office.”

Nervous wait in other departments

Meanwhile, one staff member from the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection said staff members in that portfolio were today also receiving calls that their jobs would be cut and they would be offered voluntary redundancies.

A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Andrew Powell said that was not happening to her knowledge today.

Transport and Main Roads staff were told yesterday they would receive phone calls on Tuesday to tell them whether they still had their jobs.

Clarification: A sentence in an earlier version of this story contained an incorrect figure on the number of people currently working for Queensland Health.

Additional reporting: AAP

230 comments

Newman said, on TV news last night, that he would be hiring more public servants. Is this little man a sycophant? Please tell us what services are being cut.

Commenter

Gerard

Location

Redlands

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 10:28AM

What Premier Newman said about job cuts before the election.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_oKJL03XsY&feature=youtu.be

Commenter

Ian

Location

Brisbane

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 10:58AM

This follows reviews finding that the so-called "audit" of Queensland's finances conducted by Peter Costello was neither independent nor an audit as such. It was only to be expected that the slothful Costello would hand in a lazy, politically-slanted effort. And for that he was paid thousands of dollars per day by a Premier crying poor.

The LNP's approach in Queensland is a warning of what an Abbott Liberal-National government would be like federally. Slash and burn, tear down services, abolish tens of thousands of jobs. With those tens of thousands of paychecks no longer available to drive consumption this has a harmful flow-on effect on small businesses that rely on healthy consumer spending to remain profitable and employing people in the private sector.

The federal Coalition have wasted the last five years, in not developing feasible policies but spending their days media-spinnig and spinning and spinning. They've treated the electorate with contempt. Lazy and arrogant, the federal Coalition deserve a few more terms in Opposition till they start behaving responsibly.

Commenter

Douglas

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 11:09AM

Reading these comments it is no wonder this country is in such strife. Bloated Labor government bureaucracies that taxpayers are unwilling to fund yet howl when the eventual cuts need to be made. We will be in much better shape and thankful come 3-4 years time.

Commenter

Luke R

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 11:29AM

Maybe more Front line staff hopefully. Bloated middle and upper management is a major problem for all States.

Commenter

The Oracle

Location

Oberon

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 11:34AM

Gerard - "Newman said, on TV news last night, that he would be hiring more public servants. Is this little man a sycophant? Please tell us what services are being cut."

According to a major audit Queenslands $62 billion debt could soar to $100 billion by 2018-19 if nothing is done, robbing taxpayers of $6 billion a year in interest repayments.

Of course, they have to cut jobs. How can they pay back this debt if they are blowing their money on Bureacrats?!

By cutting civil servants he is freeing up funds in his budget to pay back QLD's debt. Contrary to what the Left think you don't solve a debt problem by taking on even more debt.

Seriously, whatw wrong with the Left? The Western world is on the brink of economic collapse because of a government debt problem. Whats the solution of the Left? Spend more... create an even bigger goverment... introduce even more welfare payments... go even further into debt... spend more... spend more... spend more... don't you realise that at some point we have to pay this money back? The Left think that money comes from the welfare fairy.

Commenter

depth charge

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 11:51AM

Where is it demonstrated that cut in the number of QLD health staff equates in anyway to a cut in QLD Health services? It doesn't and its both incorrect and illogical to say otherwise.

In any business, be it public or private sector, a great number of staff does not and never will equal more services and/or improved efficiency.

What is more, ask any person that works for QLD Health whether they honestly believe that it is a well run, highly efficient business? Ask them if they thought it couldn't be more effectively and efficiently run?

The fact is you couldn't defend QLD Health as it current stands with a straight face. It is inefficient, bloated and wasteful.

Commenter

Darryltj

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 11:57AM

@Darryl - "What is more, ask any person that works for QLD Health whether they honestly believe that it is a well run, highly efficient business? Ask them if they thought it couldn't be more effectively and efficiently run?"

Actually you are quite correct. The state of the Education system in the US proves your point. It used to cost around $3000 to educate a child. This cost has now ballooned to $10 000 per child. Why? Because they Left approach to education is 'spend more'.

Did this approach result in a better education outcome for children? No. The education there has not improved. The extra money is just used to fund more useless bureacrats.

You don't improve services by spending more, you improve them by spending wisely.

Commenter

depth charge

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 12:17PM

The problem is that previous Labor governments were in power for too long in each of the states thus creating a bloat of public servants. The number of middle managers sucking the state dry must be addressed.

It's simple mum and dad economics. You can't go on forever increasing the limit on your credit card and making minimum repayments. There comes a point when you have to do it tough to pay down the principle so in the long run, you are in a better position.

I can respect a politician who is willing to do the right thing knowing fully the impact it will have on his/her popularity.

Commenter

bw

Location

Sydney

Date and time

September 07, 2012, 12:28PM

@depth charge The trouble is the people that lost jobs in the last round of cuts weren't just bureaucratic paper shufflers. I don’t even live in QLD but anyone who has tried to get timely and accurate information out of QLD Health recently knows that.

Just because someone doesn’t directly deal the public doesn’t mean they are unimportant or their job isn’t critical. But I guess you will all find that out when the next swine flu disaster hits.